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DEF is a non-partisan, independent political blog based in the
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on lawmakers, their policies, and those that have influence upon
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Sharon Tyus' campaign for state rep from the 60th district has been pretty quiet since she filed for the office back in March. But it looks like she's been conserving her cash and energy for the final weeks of the campaign.
Tyus yard signs were spotted for the first time last week is a few areas in the northside district. And yesterday, voters received a two-color mailer from the former alderman.
The campaign piece highlights her legislative experience as a 12-year veteran of the Board of Aldermen. "Tyus was 7th in seniority and chairwoman of the Public Safety committee when the illegal redistricting bill stopped her from seeking re-election in 2003," says the mailer.
A majority of the Board of Aldermen, including several northside aldermen, voted in 2002 to move Tyus' 20th Ward to south St. Louis. That move upset a lot of people who, whether or not they liked Tyus or her tactics, saw that as an act of illegal gerrymandering which harmed black political power by dismantling the largest black voting ward in the city.
Many rallied in support of Tyus, who is a lawyer, and supported her call for a lawsuit against the City of St. Louis, even raising money for the cause. But a lawsuit was never filed.
Sources tell PUB DEF that at about 4:45 p.m., Citizens to Recall Aldermen Bosley turned in their petitions to the St. Louis Board of Elections.
Developing...
UPDATE: We interviewed Debra Gordon, of Citizens to Recall Bosley, yesterday before a contentious ward meeting at Clay Elementary School. We asked her about a rumor we heard that signatures would be turned in this week. At that time, she declined to comment. Tonight, Gordon confirmed that signatures were indeed turned in. And while she would not tell us how many signatures her group submitted, she did say it was "well over" the 1,400 required to put the question to the voters.
VIDEO: Committee Recommends Asking Voters Again About Police Residency
By Antonio D. French
The legislative committee of the Board of Aldermen today recommended a board bill that would ask city voters whether they prefer police department employees to live in the city.
Board Bill #47 is sponsored by Aldermen Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward), Ken Ortmann (9th), Stephen Gregali (14th), and Jennifer Florida (15th). It would put on the November ballot a question very similar to one voted on in April 1995. At that time, 68.36% of city voters answered yes to the following:
Shall commissioned police officers and civilian employees of the Metropolitan Police Department of the City of St. Louis be required to reside within the City of St. Louis just like other City employees?
The ballot language in November will be almost identical, except "just like other City employees" has been removed. During today's committee meeting, Alderman Fred Heitert (12th Ward), the Board's lone Republican, asked Ortmann why that wording was removed. See video:
Since the City of St. Louis funds the police department, but has no say over department policy and procedures, this vote would be non-binding. Supporters hope it will guide the decisions of the state legislature and the governor-appointed police board members.
We overheard a Lambert Airport official today saying the family of a Missouri soldier killed in Iraq was forced to wait for hours to accept the body Wednesday because of President George W. Bush's arrival in St. Louis for a fundraiser for Sen. Jim Talent.
At the fundraiser, Bush said "one thing about old Jim Talent, he understands what I understand, is that when you put a man or woman in uniform and ask them to go into harm's way, they deserve the full support of the United States government."
Most Many of the employees of St. Louis Public Schools did not get paid today as scheduled. District spokesmen Johnny Little and Tony Sanders have not returned repeated calls, but sources in the district say the fault lies in the treasurer's office.
As we reported earlier this week, Superintendent Creg Williams turned those duties over to the district's interim chief financial officer, Cedric Lewis, after Enos Moss suddenly resigned from the post three weeks ago.
Developing...
UPDATE 1: Mary Armstrong, the president of the teachers' union, said today's payroll mistake affects all of the district's employees who get paid by direct deposit. She said she has asked the superintendent to make paper checks available to those employees today for pick-up at the district headquarters.
She said she has also asked the district to prepare letters addressed to the creditors of those employees facing non-sufficient funds (NSF) and late fees because of the today's error.
UPDATE 2: Tony Sanders, a district spokesman, said that principals are collecting names those teachers that "want or need" to get paid today and that checks will be delivered to those employees at the school sometime this afternoon.
Sanders would not say how the mistake occured, except to call it a "human error." He would not identify the particular human at fault.
UPDATE 3: Two thousand (out of approximately 5,000) employees were affected by today's direct deposit transmission error. District spokesman Tony Sanders pointed out that that is not "most" of the district's employees. And so we have corrected our original post to reflect that.
Sanders also wanted to clear up a couple of other things. He said the decision to give paper checks to only those employees who requested one was because had checks been written to all 2,000 employees, you would have some employees who would not be available today to receive them. Due to Independence Day holiday, some staff members would then not receive their pay until they returned next week -- or later for employees who are on vacation. It would also be difficult to notify those employees.
Sanders also pointed out that the error impacted all staff members who utilize direct deposit, not just teachers, as some have suggested.
UPDATE 4: Contrary to a promise from Dr. Williams emailed to all district staff, some employees did not receive paper checks by the end of the day. We are told that those employees who bank at U.S. Bank should see the funds available tomorrow. Those that bank at other institutions should see their funds available on Monday, July 3.
UPDATE 5: Here's a video of an interview we did this afternoon with the Local 420's president, Mary Armstrong...
Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. tonight engaged in a vicious and personal attack on the character of one of the people at the center of an effort to recall him from office.
Bosley called a town hall meeting at Clay Elementary School to discuss the benefits to the City of St. Louis of eminent domain. He invited the city's deputy mayor of development, Barb Geisman, to present the same PowerPoint presentation that she delivered to state legislators when they were deliberating on the issue earlier this year.
Nearly an hour into the meeting, Bosley told the audience that the real reason he called everyone there was to refute claims that he was "taking somebody's house and throwing them and their kids out."
Around the school's gymnasium, where the meeting took place, Bosley hung enlarged documents baring the name and signature of Mrs. Maxine Johnson. Johnson began gathering signatures to recall Bosley after the City assumed ownership of her home using eminent domain.
The bill authorizing the action was introduced by Bosley, who has maintained that taking Johnson and her neighbors' property was in the best interest of the ward. A non-profit organization started by Bethlehem Lutheran Church is soon scheduled to begin building a new housing development where Johnson, her husband, and her six children now live.
Bosley accused Johnson of gaining knowledge about the development years ago and buying the land with the hopes of reselling it at an inflated price. He pointed to a blown-up copy of a letter signed by Johnson and addressed to the church. In it, she says she may consider selling her home for $200,000.
"What in this ward at this time is worth $200,000?" asked Bosley, who has represented the ward for 28 years.
Johnson said she wrote that particular letter because she was told that she had to respond to the developer's original cash offer within 14 days. She said she doesn't want to sell her home at any price. In an earlier interview with PUB DEF, Johnson said she owns her home now and she couldn't afford to buy another house big enough for her large family for the price the church was offering.
Several speakers objected to the personal nature of Bosley's attack. They said that the issues of eminent domain usage in the City of St. Louis are larger than one woman and that more 3rd Ward residents than just Maxine Johnson want new representation at City Hall.
In March 2005, Jeffrey Hardin lost his bid to unseat Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. by just 19 votes. That narrow lost was heartbreaking to many residents of the 3rd Ward who said their veteran representative, who is 4th in aldermanic seniority, has become out of touch and has presided over a three-decade decline in the quality of life for most residents of his northside ward.
Some of those residents -- many sparked by that omnipresent source of controversy; eminent domain -- have started a petition to recall Bosley. Tonight, Hardin told PUB DEF that if that effort (which he says he is not involved in) is successful, he will run again.
STLToday.com, the website of such fine publications as the Post-Dispatch and St. Louis' Best Bridal, has been down for the last 30 minutes. May I suggest STL2day.com as an alternative?
On Tuesday, we reported that Superintendent Creg Williams had not recommended a replacement for the school district's treasurer, who resigned three weeks ago. After an investigation by PUB DEF, it was learned that Williams had assigned those duties to the district's chief financial officer without consulting with the school board.
On Wednesday, we reported that Williams may have also overreached his authority by firing roughly 1,000 teachers and asking them to reapply for their jobs. A copy of the superintendent's contract, obtained by PUB DEF after a Sunshine Law request, clearly states that all hirings, firings, and reassignments are to be recommended by Williams but must be approved by the school board.
While the board did approve reconstituting three high schools and four middle schools at its May meeting, district spokesmen said Williams sent termination letters to teachers at more than a dozen different schools.
School Board President Veronica O'Brien said that she believes Williams should have asked the board before such moves were made. She also said that she had requested the superintendent to submit a resolution asking the board to act on his recommendation. That had not been done.
PUB DEF asked Williams by email when he planned to ask the board to approve these two moves. He has not responded.
The board's vice-president, Bill Purdy, told PUB DEF, "superintendents are directly accountable to the board of education and not the other way around."
Yesterday, Mayor Francis Slay weighed in on the situation in support of Williams. "It is no secret that I -- and a lot of people in our community -- trust Dr. Williams and hope that he perseveres here. And it is no secret that Purdy disagrees," Slay wrote on his blog.
"School boards are elected to provide direction. The superintentent is hired to run the district. Not the other way around," wrote the mayor.
Click here to download this week's print(able) edition of PUB DEF Weekly. Copy, Print, Share.
Drop off some copies at City Hall, your neighborhood coffee shop, or give a copy to an old person who doesn't know "what all the fuss is about them fancy com'pooters and Innerwebs."
Members of the Clifton Heights Neighborhood Association voted 100-6 tonight to oppose a new QuikTrip gas station and convenience store proposed for the corner of Hampton and Columbia.
The Association also heard from two of the five candidates running for the state senate. Derio Gambaro and Jeff Smith spoke about their backgrounds and fielded questions from the audience on topics including school funding and Tax Increment Financing.
The three northside candidates -- State Reps Yaphett El-Amin and Amber Boykins, and former Ald. Kenny Jones -- did not attend.
UPDATE: And now video from the vote and the preceding discussion on whether to count it... Ald. Bill Waterhouse (24th Ward) said the vote of the neighborhood association would not be the only factor in his decision to support or oppose the development. He said that representatives from QuikTrip had collected more than 250 signatures of people in support of the new gas station. A hearing on the project has not yet been scheduled.
In the three week since St. Louis Public School's treasurer abruptly resigned, Superintendent Creg Williams still has not asked the school board to approve a new one. In the meantime, without a vote of the board, the district's interim chief financial officer, Cedric Lewis, has also been serving as the acting treasurer.
Nearly three weeks ago, Enos Moss suddenly resigned as treasurer of the St. Louis Public Schools. Although the district has repeatedly declined to comment, some people believe that his quick departure was related to a $4.2 million bill from the district's Pension Board.
That bill was delivered to the district in December 2005, but did not come to the attention of the Williams or Lewis until six months later. And since it was not included in this year's budget drafts, next year's projected budget deficit literally doubled overnight.
That Williams has not asked for board approval of Moss' replacement is a source of controversy in the district and on the school board. Board President Veronica O'Brien told PUB DEF that Williams was asked to present a resolution to the board for approval, which he has not done yet.
Board approval for personnel reassignments is something that is clearly spelled out in Williams' contract, which was obtained by PUB DEF last week after a Sunshine Law request.
"It was my understanding that the board should approve this change," said O'Brien. She said that is especially needed for a position as sensitive as treasurer, whose name appears on all of the district's checks.
District spokesperson Tony Sanders could not tell us whose name is currently on district checks.
Bill Purdy, vice-president of the school board, said he was "disappointed that the superintendent has chosen to challenge the board's authority." He said Williams could have called a special meeting to at least inform the board of his selection.
"The superintendent would be wise to recognize that board members are elected by the vote of citizens," said Purdy. "It is that same board that hires and evaluates the performance of the superintendent."
"Superintendents are directly accountable to the board of education and not the other way around," he said.
District Judge Fernando Gaitan, Jr. today ordered the State of Missouri to halt all executions until its procedures are reviewed.
The Associated Press is reporting that the judge said those procedures presented an "unnecessary risk" of "unconstitutional pain and suffering" to inmates on death row.
The decision could mean some extra time for Reggie Clemons, whose case supporters had previously planned to meet tonight to discuss. The Justice for Reggie campaign meeting is tonight at 7:00 at the Legacy Bookstore, 5249 Delmar Blvd.
Three representatives of Barnes-Jewish Hospital made their case Friday for why it is in the best interests of both the City and the hospital expand a current lease on a section of Forest Park.
June Fowler, BJC's Vice-President of Communications, Michael DeHaven, BJC’s general counsel, and Linda Martinez, a partner with the Bryan Cave law firm, told members of the Forest Park Lease Committee that, while BJC would prefer to outright purchase the land, the hospital would be willing to commit to the following as part of a 90-year lease:
(1) building a health care facility on the land, (2) including a price escalator in the annual lease payment, (3) ensure all of their lease payments went to maintaining the rest of the park, and (4) pay for moving the Hudlin tennis courts and playground wherever the city decides.
In this video, Fowler gives a brief history of the different appraisal amounts of the land. Clearing up one source of concern, she says that the public parking meters near Euclid are not part of this land.
In this video, Fowler outlines the things that BJC is willing to commit to in the agreement.
In this video, Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. (3rd Ward) questions Fowler and DeHaven about BJC's intentions with the land. One of the things to come out of his questioning is that BJC has future plans to tear down Barnes-Jewish West Plaza and Queeny Tower, which was just built in 1965. DeHaven pointed to the buildings' inability to withstand a major earthquake.
In this video, Fowler outlines what she sees as the benefits to the city and hospital from this proposed deal. She said that the proposed lease payment is the highest per square foot rate in the city.
In this video, Fowler says it does matter who is asking for this lease. She says BJC is a good and committed corporate citizen and deserves consideration for the services it provides to the area.
Editor's Note: These video postings include our 100th YouTube video. It is also our 570th blog posting since PUB DEF returned in October 2005.
The Clifton Heights Neighborhood Association will be having a forum for candidates in the 4th District State Senate race Monday night at 7:00 at Mason Elementary School, 6031 Southwest Avenue.
Tyus yard signs were spotted for the first time last week is a few areas in the northside district. And yesterday, voters received a two-color mailer from the former alderman.
